Hatch closure



E. R. SWANSON HATCH CLOSURE Filed April ll. 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR EARL R. SWANSON ATTORNEYS June l1, 1940.

June 1K1, 1940.

E. R. swANsoN f HATCH CLOSURE Filed April 1l. 1938 3 Sheets-Shale?, 2,

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June l1, 1940. E. R. swANsN HATCH CLOSURE Filed April l1', 1958 s sheets-sheet s l /lv WJ l NN R ,EA O

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JSM R R A @E Patented June 11, `1.940

j QUNITED STATES HATCH CLO'SURE n Y Earl R. Swanson, Chicago, VIll.,r SSignor, k'by mesne assignments,

to Vstandard lrailway Equipment Manufacturing Company,V a corporation of Delaware Applieationnpril 11, 193s, serial No. r201,432 e 6 claims. (mios-37"?) The invention relates to hatch constructions for railway l cars of the refrigerator type and more particularly to `hatch closures.A It is the object of the invention to obtain ay construction vv having'various advantages, such aseifective seal- 'ing of the hatch when closed; provision 'for ventilation; andi secure attachment of' al1` movable 'parts to the carroof. With these and other objects in viewythe invention consists in the construction as lhereinafter set' forth.

In the drawings:v y f y Figure 1 is a vertical central section through. the hatch and closure in a plane longitudinal of the car;`

v Figure 2 is a cross section on line 2*--2 of Figure 1; the portion on the `left of the center being viewedin a forward direction andthe portion on the right in a rearward direction;

Figure 3 isfa plan view of the locking mechanism; ,Y f y l l Figure 4 is a View similar to AFigure 1, showing a modified construction;

Figure 5 is' a section on line 5 5 of Figureil; l Figures 6, 7, .8, 9, 10, 11, `12 and 13 show other modifications; A j. v

Figure 14 is an `enlarged section ofA a portion of Figure 1. n f

Hatch constructions for railway cars, such as refrigerator cars, usuallyinclude a hatch frame 30 havinga portion .projecting upward above the roof .andV a depending portion extending through the insulating liningto the interior ofthe car. It is also usual to provide fa double closure 'consisting of acover for the portion which is exterior to the -car and a plug which lits within the depending portion kof the frame to effectively seal the'same. My improved construction is of f the type just described and includes, first' a novel means for hinging the outer cover to the' roof or hatch frame; second the novel means for vindependently hinging the plug; third the means for producing an effective seal in the closed" position of the cover Vand plug; and fourth provision for holding the closure open in differentpositions of adjustment-for the purpose of ventilation.

` In detail, A are the outer sheets of a car roof which extend transversely Lof the" car and are provided .with `upstanding iianges. B engaged" by a seanrcap C rivetedthereto.v D is the hatch frame whichis arranged in an opening in one of the sheets A and which issupported by the crossv members Eand"other.structural parts of the roof frame, notl shown.k 'Ihe hatchframe Dis cfa known type-having a' depending portion D' ,tsprdlfi a @www diliqc .agilgotmgs a,

seat for the closure plug, a laterally outwardly extending portion D2 which rests upon the supporting members E, an upwardly extending and inwardly tapering portion ID3, and an inwardly extending top angeD4 terminating in a doWnturned flange D5. F is the hatch cover which has a downturned annular fiangeG substantially parallel to the portion D3, and I-I is the plug kwhich is normally seated within the portion D'.

To securely fasten the cover F and plug H to the car roof and at the same time to permit movementof the same I have designed the following construction. -I are reenforcing angle bars on the cover F which extend beyond the same longitudinally of the car and are provided at their 15 outer endsA with` eyes I. These are hinged by pins I2 to bifurcated rbrackets or hinge butts I3 secured to and extending upward from oneof the seam caps C. Thus, the cover F has its hinged supportlon this seam cap. which is a rigid part of the roof nfframe. Also, the spacing between thehinge and the adjacent ange of the cover is such as to providev the necessary radius ol'l movement for clearing the hatch frame. To-eie fectively seal the joint between the cover andthe frame, the former is provided with a resilient gasket or sealing strip J extending around the inside'of the flange G and alsoinward on the underside'of the cover., This strip is preferably `provided with al resilient rib J for seating against 30 the portion D3 of the'frame, and also a rib J2 for seating upon the top ofthe ange D4. Thus,

`When the cover is in vclosed position it-will have sealing Contact with the frame inftwo zones, and

the ribs JI 4and J2 also cushion 'the shock. of

closing. Y Y v i j The plug I-I is also hinged but the hinged butts are attached to the insideof the frame D. As

shown in VFigure l, these butts are formed by spaced'members K-welded in the channel ofthe 40 frame formed by the portions D2, D2 and D?. 'Ihe varm L is pivotally secured betweenthe mem- `bers K by a pin K', said arm extending to ap'- f proximately the center of the plug and then re-` A bracket M is seturn-'bentto forma slot L. cured to theplug and a pin M extending through the slotL connects this bracket to the arm L.

A guide-bracket N through which the arm' L passes and which also is secured to the plug, willI hold the latter substantially parallel to thearm. This construction permits of swinging the plug with the arm L in opening and closing the hatch. Also,A the slot L permits suiiicient lateral l* adjustmentof the plug on the arm L to insure @arrapataSecties@ thcpQriiQnDL o@ the frame 5s A resilient cushion H in a peripheral groove in the plug insures proper sealing.

When the hatch is closed it should be locked from accidental opening, and it is also desirable to provide means for -holding the hatch closure open and in diierent positions of adjustment to provide for ventilation when required. For this purpose an arm O is pivotallysecured to a bracket P bolted or otherwise attached to the roof, said arm being bent to extend upward and then horizontally above the cover F and being provided with a series of apertures O. Q is a biiurcated bracket member secured to the cover F and embracing the arm 0,- and Risa U-shaped locking bolt for adjustably securing the arm O to said bracket. One leg R' of the locking bolt R slidably engages apertures in the furcations of the bracket Q to be laterally adjustable therein, and the other leg R2 is shorter for detachable engagement with the apertures in the `bracket Q, and one of the'apertures O in the arm O. This permits of locking the cover closed when the leg R? is engaged with the last aperture O of the series, and where it is desired to hold the cover open in diierent positions, this can be accomplished .by engaging the leg R2 with one of the other apertures O. The arm. L then becomes a strut for holding the cover at different inclina.-

tions. v

The plugrl is normally unconnected with the cover F so as to permit of independent swinging movement of these members. Ii, however, ventilation is required it is necessary to hold open the plug H, as well as the cover which is supported on the strut arm O. This is accomplished by providing on the inside of the cover F a depending flanged bracket S and upon the plug I-I an upstanding flanged bracket T, The flanges S', S2 and T of these brackets overlap each other, but in the normal closed position of the cover and plug they are disengaged. Inasmuch, however, as the cover and plug are hinged at diierent points and the radius arm between the cover hinge and bracket iiange S' is longer than the radius arm between the plug hinge and the bracket flange T', it is possible to engage these y is supported by the brace member O at some particular angle, the plug will be held suspended therefrom,

With certain hatch constructions the frame is modified from the construction shownin Figure l to that shown in Figure 4. In this the tapered depending portion U extends upward to the top of the frame at which point there is an outwardly extending flange U and a depending flange U2, A hinge butt V is placed in the channel formed by the members U, U', U2 and is secured thereto by welding. There is also an aperture. U3 in the member U through which the hinge arm W extends, said arm being pivoted by a pin W to the butt V. The butt V is preferably of U-shaped form so that when welded to the frame it will form a pocket within the channel connected with the aperture U3.

With the construction as'described, when the hatch cover is open may be swung through an i angle of approximately 180i until-*the-bracket Q is above an adjacent seam cap C' of the roof. A bracket X secured to this seam cap forms a support on which the bracket Q rests. The plug I-I may also be swung over the cover F into the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1. In open position the plug I-I is supported by the ange T of the bracket T resting on the flange S2 of the bracket S. While I have described only a single hinge for the cover and a single hinge for the plug, I preferably provide a pair of each, which are arranged upon opposite sides of the center of the hatch opening, as indicated in Figure 2.

My improvements `are applicable to various types of hatch frame which have heretofore been used. Thus, iii-Figure 6 the hinge butts for the plug are arrangedbetween the upper portion of the hatch frame and an external rim member U4. In Figure 7 the hatch frame has an annular rim member U5 surrounding the same and the hinge buttsV are Ul-shaped members welded to the memberU5 and the top iiange U. Figures 8, 9 and lill illustrate modifications in which the hinge butts for both the plug and the cover are secured to the hatch frame. construction Iis shown where the plug H is seated in a wooden frame Hand a cast metal hatch frame Y ismounted on the top of the roof for receiving thehatch cover, Hinge butts V2 and V3 are cast integral with the frame Y and arranged respectively inside and outside the same for-engaging the hinge straps of the plug and cover. Figure 9 shows another construction of hatch frame having the hinge butts V4 and V5 integral therewith and respectively inside and outside thereof. Figure l0 illustrates aA construction where separate hinge butts V6 and V7 are arranged respectively inside 'and' outside of the hatch frame and are secured thereto and to each other by rivets V8. In Figure 11 hinge butts I4 for the cover have their Shanks extending downward between the flanges A of the adjacent roofing sheetsv A and are secured thereto by welding. Figure l2 shows a side elevation of the construction in Figure 11. Figure 13 illustrates another modification where the hinge butts I5 for both hinges are formed integral with a strip I6 which extendslongitudinally of the seam and is welded between the flanges A thereof.l

With all of the various modications as well as with the construction previously described, the hinge connection for the plug does not in any way interfere with the hatch cover or break the seal between the same and the hatchl frame. This is of importance, particularly lwhere the resilient sealing `strip is arranged between the hatch frame and the cover, for such strip will exclude all dirt and cinders from access to the interior of the hatch frame above the plug. This would, not be possible if the hinge butts of the plug were arranged outside of the hatch'frarne.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. In a hatch construction including a hatch frame, a hatch cover for said frame and a plug within said frame, and hinge'butts for said cover and plug secured to said frame respectively outside and inside thereof. j

2. In a hatch construction including a hatch frame, a hatchcover outside said frame and a plug within said frame, a hinge for said cover outside said frame, and hinge means for said plug wholly within said frame.

3. In a hatch construction, a hatch frame'the upper portion of said frame being of channel cross section,--a hatch cover, a hinge connection for-saidhatch cover outside'fsaiciv frame, Va. `plug In Figure 8 a Within said frame, a carrying arm for said plug, and a hinge butt for said carrying arm in said channel, v

4. In a hatch construction, a hatchframe the upper portion of said frame extending outwardly upwardly and inwardly to form a channel cross section, a hatch cover having a depending flange surrounding said frame, a plug seated within said hatch frame, an arm carrying said plug, and a hinge butt for said'arm located in said channel portion. f

5. In a hatch construction, a hatch frame the upper portion of said frame extending outwardly and downwardly to form a channel cross section, a hatch cover having a depending an'ge surrounding said downwardly extending portion, a hinge for said cover outside said frame, av plug seated in said frame, a carrying arm for'said plug extending outwardly through an aperture in said located .frame into the channel cross section thereof, a

U-shaped member secured Within said 'channel in registration with said aperture forming a pocket for theend of said arm and constituting a hinge butt therefor.

6. In a hatch construction, a hatch 'frame the upper portionof said frame extending outwardly upwardly and inwardly to form a channel cross section, a hatch cover having a depending flange surrounding said upwardly extending portion, a

the flange on said cover and opposite theaforei.

said hinge butt, both of said butts being secured to said frame. f

EARL R.y SWANSON. 

